New research by a multidisciplinary team in Lithuania reveals a promising and unconventional approach to cartilage regeneration. Researchers have demonstrated the potential to use extracellular vesicles derived from menstrual blood stromal cells to stimulate cartilage repair, paving the way for future cell-free therapies for osteoarthritis.
More than 600 million people worldwide have osteoarthritis, approximately 73% of whom are over the age of 55 and 60% are women. Osteoarthritis prevalence will continue to increase due to an aging population, increasing obesity, and increasing injuries.
Today’s clinical treatments primarily manage symptoms such as pain and inflammation, but cannot stop or reverse cartilage degeneration. Therefore, regenerative medicine, which replaces or regenerates human tissues and organs and restores their functions, is gaining momentum based on stem cell technology and tissue engineering principles. Within that strategy, menstrual blood-derived cells have emerged as a more promising tool than bone marrow cells.
Collection of menstrual blood is non-invasive and easy, as menstrual blood is a biological substance that is naturally excreted. In contrast, harvesting bone marrow requires an invasive procedure. In addition, these cells actively secrete molecules that promote regeneration and regenerate the endometrium every month. This makes them an attractive source for regenerative medicine, especially when safety and accessibility are paramount. ”
Dr. Ilona Uzielienė, Researcher, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Kaunas University of Technology (KTU)
The treatment was also effective on old cells with reduced regenerative capacity.
A study by Lithuanian biomedical and chemical scientists investigated the possibility of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from mesenchymal stromal cells derived from menstrual blood. According to Dr. Uzielienė, EVs are small messenger-like particles released by cells that can enter other cells and influence their activities, such as promoting reproduction or reducing inflammation.
In this experiment, the researchers used menstrual blood samples from three healthy donors and postoperative tissue samples from 10 female donors with osteoarthritis. To see how EVs affect human tissue, the scientists used biological scaffolds, structures that stabilize EVs and support their interaction with cells.
“What surprised us most was that this treatment was also effective in the chondrocytes of postmenopausal older women, whose natural regenerative capacity is already significantly reduced. Nevertheless, extracellular vesicles from menstrual blood cells not only improved chondrocyte function and slowed tissue degradation, but also increased the expression of progesterone receptors in older chondrocytes, which usually leave minimal traces,” says Dr. Ugieliene.
According to her, the main innovation of this research is the proposal of a cell-free therapy based on extracellular vesicles, small particles of cells, rather than cells themselves. You can activate regeneration without side effects.
Biomimetic scaffolds, an important part of therapy
These vesicles are fragile and break down quickly, so researchers are developing biological scaffolds that can protect them and gradually release them when pressure is applied to the joint or movement occurs. This may extend efficacy, improve treatment outcomes, and open new possibilities for cartilage repair and osteoarthritis treatment.
“The biggest challenge when building biomimetic scaffolds is that the biomedical material has to be good in all areas at the same time: it has to be chemically stable, mechanically robust, biologically compatible and practically manufacturable. In the case of cartilage, this is particularly complex, as it has to reproduce both its natural structure and its resistance to mechanical stress,” says Dr. Edvinus Krugly, senior research fellow at KTU’s Department of Chemical Technology.
According to him, regenerative medicine relies on interdisciplinary collaboration. Chemists may develop new materials, but without cell biologists, physicians, and bioengineering and pharmaceutical experts, it is impossible to fully understand their efficacy, clinical relevance, or practical potential.
“What drew me to this field was the desire to develop new research and treatments. But new treatments don’t necessarily mean creating new drugs. Sometimes breakthroughs occur when we develop new materials or platforms that can deliver drugs, cells, or vesicles more precisely, safely, and effectively,” says Dr. Krugley.
Biomimetic materials can help researchers better recreate natural tissue environments, extend the activity of bioactive molecules, and advance regenerative medicine. In this context, the biomimetic scaffold is not just a support, but an important part of the treatment itself.
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Kaunas University of Technology (KTU)
Reference magazines:
Kugadadite, G. Others. (2026). Extracellular vesicles from mesenchymal stromal cells derived from menstrual blood stimulate the synthesis of chondrocytes and cartilage extracellular matrix in vitro. scientific report. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-40854-3. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-40854-3
